The New Granny's Survival Guide, by Gransnet

Your Reviews

"A must read for any new gran…"

11-Jan-2014

I love a good read so I was excited to be sent this book to review from the lovely lot over at Mumsnet . I must admit I haven't read many "survival" books before so was unsure what to expect. It is lovely that this is something tailored for grandparents as apart from new granny cards I have never really seen any grandparent specific gifts. The small back note claims this book to be " the complete guide to grandparenting for fabulous grans everywhere". I liked the sound of it as i consider my own mum very fabulous.

The book is divided into nine chapters covering everything from how to be a good gran in waiting to granny rivalry to helping children cope with divorce. There are little quote snipets from the lovely "grans" of Gransnet. If you have just thought Gransnet? Shame on you have a peek here they are a group of very modern grannies who share advice, experience and a lot of laughs from the sounds of some of the quotes.

It comes as a hardback, I love the dust cover its very retro chic, very pretty. It's funny, but informative. Lots of lovely little gems of advice that will make any new gran feel at ease and not alone in facing the new and wonderful world of "grandparenthood". It's the perfect gift to give to any expectant gran.I am going to pass this on to my mum to let her have a read. You can purchase it on Amazon.

Mumsnetter elliebearbabi

"Lighthearted but with some great advice for navigating a new role…"

09-Jan-2014

As a researcher with an interest in the lived experiences of women and families Mumsnet books are a goldmine of secondary data to analyse in the first instance, and a source of great humour, advice and support in the second!

It was with great interest that I read about the new Gransnet book The New Granny’s Survival Guide, as the role of women as both mothers and grandmothers is something that has come up in my research, and interested me in my personal life.

I remember sitting down with both my own mother and mother in law in the early months following Joss’ birth and telling them about how I found it hard to know what to say when people asked me about becoming a mother, people would ask me ‘is she good?’ ‘are you enjoying it’ all the right things to ask I suppose, but their questions didn’t help me to navigate how I was feeling, instead talking with more experienced mothers gave me a better frame of reference; I guess I wanted them to say I was ‘doing it right’!

I was lucky to receive a copy of The New Granny’s Survival Guide, by Gransnet, to review.

I suppose I read this book through the lens “what’s different about being a gran to being a mam, and what can I learn from this journey that the older generation are on, in relation to my daughter?” When Joss came along her Daddy and I became aware that although we had just become a family of three (plus dog) we had a much wider family for Joss to gain support, love and wisdom from, not just here in the UK, but from our family in Holland too.

Having my grandmother, her great-grandmother here for the days following her birth made the occasion all the more special, my little girl shares a name that’s very close to that of her great-grandmother, and she is looked after a day a fortnight by each of her grandparents, so we were all navigating new relationships in a way none of us had probably anticipated amidst the excitement of the arrival of our precious girl.

I suppose Gransnet’s Guide for Granny’s is akin to what Mumsnet’s “Why did Nobody Tell Me” was for me, a tongue in cheek look at the collective wisdom of Grans, and support to navigate a new role, with lots and lots of ideas for play and supporting childcare at all ages. It recognises that especially in relation to health and wellbeing some of the guidance about care for children has changed a lot over the years, and raises the importance of trying to ‘go with the modern flow’ – yes spoon fed weaning was de rigeur, now baby-led weaning is encouraged, babies were encouraged to sleep on their front and now it’s feet to foot on their backs, and it’s easy to say ‘it never did you any harm’ but urges caution and encourages letting go and enjoying a relationship with grandchildren without worry, let the parents do that!

A fun read and good reference tool for some of the ‘sticky issues’ that might arise when providing care either informal or on a more regular basis, I’d think this would make a lovely gift for a new Gran (or Grandma, or Nan)!

Mumsnetter amymo2012

"A light hearted, witty read with practical advice.…"

09-Jan-2014

Being a granny isn't how it used to be, these days there are many glamorous grannies with hectic social lives, busy work lives and grannies that are very internet savvy which is why the book The New Granny's Survival Guide: Everything You Need To Know To Be The Best Gran is so very relevant.The book is witty and light hearted at the same time as offering immensely practical advice on subjects such as; how to get along with your in-laws better, the best ways to entertain your grandchildren, dealing with competitive grans and broken families plus so much more. There's also an insightful foreword by Janet Ellis.The book which is written in collaboration with Gransnet is a sister website to Mumsnet. Gransnet offers a brilliant community of women that are or will soon be grannies, you can ask any question about being a granny and you're sure to have a lot of experienced grannies offer their advice.If you're about to become a granny or your mum is then this is the book you need.Personally I really enjoyed reading this book and think it has a beautiful and realistic approach to grannyhood. It certainly made me feel very positive about becoming a grandma myself one day.

Mumsnetter BroodyMe

"A Great Gift Book…"

07-Jan-2014

The book is lovely to look at – Hardback with a textured paper dust cover with a vintage homely design. It would look lovely on a shelf and would definitely be appealing to any Gran/Granny in your life.

The tag line on the book is ‘Everything you need to know to be the BEST Gran’ and is a collection of wisdom and advice taken from hundreds of Grandparents on Gransnet - the Grandparents’ Website. The forums were scoured for everything that new Grannies should know and it was all combined to make one lovely book. The book covers topics from becoming a Grandparent to being a Grandparent and answers questions related to young Grandchildren, older Grandchildren and the different situations that any Gran may find themselves in.

Reading through the book you cannot help but feel for people in the situations discussed, relate to other parts and laugh frequently! The book is informative but funny and would be great for a Gran to read but then to keep and use for reference when situations occur. The New Granny’s Survival Guide covers every subject you could think of from Special Occasions to Finances, Childcare to Modern Technology. It’s an eye opening read – even not being a Grandparent – and something I would definitely have bought for LP and LM’s Grandparents.

Mumsnetter genuineplacebo

"A great read full of good advice…"

07-Jan-2014

I'm not a Grandparent yet, but I was delighted to read and review this book on behalf of both Mumsnet and Gransnet. "The New Granny's Survival Guide" is a guidebook which will help you navigate your way through the complex role of Grandparenthood. The foreword is written by Janet Ellis who shares her own role as a Grandma.

The book is full of helpful quotes and examples from members of Gransnet who share the good and the bad of being a Granny. I was shocked to learn that there are 14 million Grandparents under the age of 65 in the UK. Gransnet was launched in May 2011 providing support and comfort to a vast network.

Did you know that 5.8 million Grandparents regularly look after Grandchildren for an average of 10 hours per week? It saves parents a whopping £11 billion in childcare. You are either for this or against, but 97% of Grandparents don't get a penny for the childcare either. The facts and figures really brought home to me how important Grandparents are in our lives.

The book deals with all aspects Grandparents must deal with, from the delight of the "birth" and coping with ever changing advice on feeding, sleeping and clothing a new born. To competition between Grannys and even what name to chose for yourself. I thought the section on Mother-in-Law/ Daughter-In-Law relationships gave some very useful advice and opened my own eyes as a Daughter-In-Law.

When to bite your tongue and when to offer help and advice are discussed with emphasis on taking a deep breath and a step backwards before plunging in with unwanted words which alienate your relations with the parents of those precious Grandchildren. The "Wisdom of Experience" chapter was an absolutely brilliant summary of Grandparenthood.

I think this book offers its advice in a fun, easy to read format, which is up to date and will benefit families of all ages. I have no hesitation in giving it this 5* review.